Virtual images are popular because they allow developers and administrators to rapidly and consistently deliver user environments; with ever-increasing popularity, though, comes some new costs, such as the efforts involved in creating and managing these images. The IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool helps users build more flexible, reusable, multi-purpose virtual images through a modular approach.

With ICCT, a user defines an operating system environment, then defines such additional software as app servers and development tools ... in other words, providing the components for the virtual image. Next the user defines input parameters and a set of configuration actions for the virtual image. At this point, the ICCT builds the image and automatically wires the user-defined configuration actions into the image's activation framework.

The user can deploy the image using the IBM Cloud, WebSphere CloudBurst, or Tivoli Provisioning Manager; he can pass in unique input parameters to which the configuration actions have access, resulting in a virtual image that automatically configures itself based on the requirements defined by the deployer.

Here is a roundup of knowledge resources on the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool: